“Metal Centipedes” alongside COPE2

Bronx Graffiti Legend, such is the allusion attached to the name and aura of COPE2. He told me, like he told so many before that it was nothing more than God’s Blessing to be able to paint four letters in bubble form and be able to live off it and travel the world. There is no denying it is and I nodded my head in agreement with him. As he stod there at the jam, we discussed the game plan of the following morning, Saturday morning. We spoke Friday night at A’shop while with Regimental Oneton. K6A came on to perform in the ring alongside my brothers UrbN-LogiX and Monk-e. I was in desire to make sure COPE was having a dope time here in Montreal while McGill kids a block up from the A’Shop joint/Can You Rock jam were having their back-to-school frosh. In my mind, it was important for Mickey Boston to see that COPE could get to know how Montreal holds it down and gets down, I simply observed his observations on the night alongside SEN2 and I think they had a dope time.

UrbN-LogiX dropped knowledge in the middle of the Ring. Photo by Kae Roc.

COPE mentioned the gameplan, painting was to start early, 10am. I decided to drop-in at 11:30am, but more like noon. I didnt ask COPE what the artistic plan was the night before, I was having a blast alongside Samantha (Nefe of team Brosky) while kicking it back with the fellow emcees. Mickey Boston hiphop is about the goodie good good. Saturday morning, COPE was about to get cracking in the Montreal humidity, it was on and the King Kase2 Tribute piece was getting its Ironlak engine started.

Style King. Such was one definition of Kase2. For me Kase2 was the first embodiement of camouflage within a piece and ironically I had crossed his very same words in 1982′s Style Wars, a documentary I had only crossed in 1996 when in high school.

I first met Kase2, the King of Style in 2004 at the Queensbridge Park Jams organized by Tools of War. It was one of those celebrity sightings for me, a legend of Style Wars. I was known back then as I am today, Mickey Boston, and the aspect of a name lives with you everywhere one will go in the journey of life. To others, he was known as Jeffrey and to even others, he was Jeffrey ”King Kase2″ Brown.

Unfortunately, I do not know who the artist was that knocked out this beautiful piece.

1982 was the year I was born. Kase2 was already a legend and featured in Style Wars. Having mentioned all this, he was putting up more art by the summer of ’82 and ’83 while I was just being born. In essence, I am attempting to streess the longevity and presence of Kase2, an artist that marked his presence before many of us even know what art was. The artistic and social contributions of Kase2 are numerous and undeniably could not be fathomed in one sitting, nor in one piece that would just say it all.

Of course, the war on art and the tough municipal laws set in motion by the Koch city-hall administration did not deter a Style King like Kase2 to either be intimidated or to extinguish the passion for art that continued to burn in him; indeed, he continued to burn walls under pressure with or without Butch2 by his side.

The A’shop jam was something memorable and in Montreal, we make the most of every moment, it’s just how we are in Montreal and its the reputation we proudly uphold. Of course, in the A’shop clip below, you’ll be able to recognize a few faces here and there and hopefully we’ll catch you at the next one.

Inside. The Oneton pieces and of course, the world's most famous bubble.